


even miracles take a little time

by echokomfloukru, J0SIES



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, Family, Melody-centric, Terminal Illnesses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-16
Updated: 2017-07-16
Packaged: 2018-12-02 23:43:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11520009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/echokomfloukru/pseuds/echokomfloukru, https://archiveofourown.org/users/J0SIES/pseuds/J0SIES
Summary: Melody has a master plan.





	even miracles take a little time

Melody wasn't the brightest crayon in the box, in fact, she wasn't even a crayon. She was a multi-coloured pencil.

Sitting by her mother's hospital bed in Riverdale Hospital, she clutched onto her mama's limp hand as she fought for her life. Her mum had once been bubbly and flamboyant beyond belief yet all that energy had been drained away by her severe illness, leaving a thin and deflated woman in its wake. It pained Mel to see her suffering like this, there had to be something she could do--anything at all.

Develop a super power that allowed her to absorb all of her mother's pain and transfer it onto herself? Nah, that would be too difficult, and the Canadian government would kidnap her in a heartbeat before experimenting on her. Nope, definitely not! What about becoming a doctor? Yes! Not only did Dr Melody Valentine have a super cute ring to it but it also meant that she could easily create a cure for cancer. Then she could give it to mum and they could live happily ever after with dad.

It sounded absolutely perfect!

The drummer jumped up, bursting at the seams with eagerness and excitement at the mere thought of putting her master plan into action. She leaned over the bed and bent to place a tender loving kiss on her mother's forehead as she slept.

"I'm gonna save you, mom," Melody whispered softly, "I love you."

...

All superheroes had a weakness and hers turned out to be hospital bills. She didn't know it was a problem until she caught her mom crying over the crumpled ball in a skinny fist. She tried to hide, putting on a overly cheery smile, but Melody knew her mom well enough to know when she was trying to hide something.

"I can take care of it, Melody."

Well, so could she.

...

"Why you frowning, girl?"

Melody looked up from her plate of fries and up into Pop's concerned face.

Maybe he could help.

"Bills. Bills. Bills."

She sang out sarcastically, lip quirking up some.

Pop's nodded solemnly. Her mom had worked for Pop's before cancer became her life. If anyone understood, it would be him.

He smiled, skin wrinkling around his eyes, "Say no more, baby girl. You can come work here. I could use the extra help."

"Really?"

"Yes, really." She jumps forward, arms stretching to wrap around his plump body.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you. I have to go tell my mom."

She grabs some money from her purse to pay for the food but Pop's shakes his head.

"On the house. Tell your momma I'm praying for her."

Melody nods, running towards the door. She runs into Ginger and smiles apologetically, "Didn't see you there."

Ginger nods, stuffing her hands into her back pockets, "So..... you're working here now?"

"Yeah. Awesome, right."

"Perfect. I could come visit you." Melody shakes her head rapidly in agreement, "I'd like that. I gotta go, talk to you later."

She moves around the girl, feeling exuberant. Ginger waves meekly at her back, letting out a small sigh. Pop laughed, watching the whole encounter with knowing eyes. 

... 

Ginger turned out to be a regular customer, especially during Mel's shifts. But the young woman didn't mind one bit. She began to find that her heart fluttered rapidly just at the sight of her.

"Hey babe, what can I get for you today?" Mel asked as she arrived at her table for the nth time with an visible bounce in her step.

"Hi, um," The girl looked down at her menu deep in thought. Melody's gaze lingered closely on how the velvety smooth skin of her brow crinkled in concentration and how she unconsciously bit her plump pink lower lip whilst her eyes roved over the columns of food listed. She was so gorgeous. "Actually, I'm not gonna order anything. I just wanted to come and see you."

Mel blinked in surprise, unable to hide the mega beam that was breaking out across her face. "Oh my gosh really?" She asked. Her skin flushed intensely.

Ginger blushed, giggling as she glanced away bashfully. "I think it's pretty obvious that I have a major crush on you at this point."

"Well, the feeling is definitely mutual!" Melody replied, hugging her notepad to her chest. Her heart was thumping so fast she thought it would burst out of her chest.

They stared at each other for a long tense moment. "Um, do you wanna, maybe, go out some time?" Ginger proposed, her voice husky.

"Yes!" The young waitress chirped, nodding happily. "Yes, I'd love that!" 

...

"I'm so so proud of you baby," her mom croaked after Melody had told her about her day at school a few weeks later. "You've been working and studying so hard."

The pride that her mother exuded made everything worth it. She saw a shine in her eyes that hadn't been there in months.

"I'm gonna get you this cure, I promise. And I'll pay all the bills." Her daughter stated optimistically, determination still going strong. She worked at Pop Tate's most evenings and her grades were slowly but surely improving. Next step was getting into one of the world's best medical schools. Mel had initially started out wanting to help her mother, however she began to realise that being a doctor would bring hope and joy to the lives of many. Not all superheroes wore capes.

"Okay, okay," Melody's mom chuckled goodheartedly, not an once of doubt in her mind despite knowing the deadly consequences that her disease could entail. She reached out and grabbed her daughter's hand, holding it, cherishing her touch. "But you know what I always say, love is the best cure of them all."

**Author's Note:**

> So echokomfloukru and I wrote this fic together! It was so much fun <3
> 
> Our inspiration came from Asha Bromfield's Instagram live where she mentioned that the ideas for Melody's character were her dating Ginger, working at Pop's and studying to become a doctor. But of course, none of that made it into the script and Melody only had two lines. :(
> 
> All kudos and comments are much appreciated.


End file.
